John Alexander Harington Bird

John Alexander Harington Bird was a London sporting equestrian and animal painter. He is mostly famous for his paintings of horses painting a number of equestrian scenes some for the Royal family and many Arab horses. He was also an accomplished illustrator with the sports covered ranging from fox-hunting coaching dressage pig-sticking to coursing. Bird initially intended to follow a military career but instead turned his interest to art and studied at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1875 he went to Montreal Canada where he took the post of Director of Art on the Board of School Commissions. Bird exhibited at the Royal Canadian Academy and became an Associate member in 1880. In 1885 Bird returned to London where he spent the rest of his life during these years he exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists.